Tower Hamlets

Tower Hamlets' population expanded in the 10 years leading up to 2011. At the same time there were changes in housing tenure, ethnicity and health.

The population passed quarter of a million

In the 10 years leading up to 2011, the population of Tower Hamlets increased by 30%, from just over 196,000 to 254,000.

The addition of almost 58,000 people means this area's population was the fastest-growing in London and was the fastest-growing across England.

In 2011, Tower Hamlets was home to, on average, 92 people per football pitch-sized piece of land (about 7,140 square metres).

Population density was higher than the average across London

Population density (usual residents per 7,140 square metres) across London, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

Fall in social renting

This area saw England's largest fall in the proportion of socially rented homes.

In 2011, just under 4 in 10 (40%) households in Tower Hamlets lived in social housing, compared with 52% in 2001. The percentage of privately rented homes increased from 16% to 33%.

Southwark saw the next largest fall (from 53% to 44%).

The rate of social housing in Tower Hamlets decreased by 12 percentage points

Percentage of households in Tower Hamlets, London and England that rented socially, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Tower Hamlets

The number of people in Tower Hamlets that described themselves as Muslim increased from about 71,000 in 2001 to about 88,000 in 2011. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 36% to 35%.

Across London, the percentage of people from this religious group increased by from 8.5% to 12%, while across England the percentage went from 3.2% to 5.2%.

The number of people in Tower Hamlets that described themselves as Christian decreased from just under 76,000 in 2001 to about 69,000 in 2011 (from 39% to 27%). The number of people who described themselves as having no religion increased from just under 28,000 to just under 49,000 (from 14% to 19%).

Just over 39,000 people (7.4%) did not state their religion, up from about 15,000 in 2001 (15%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population who identified as Muslim in Tower Hamlets decreased by 1.9 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Tower Hamlets by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Tower Hamlets stood out from other areas for children

In Tower Hamlets, the proportion went up from 66% in 2001 to 68% in 2011. During the same period, the regional proportion fell from 62% to 60%.

The proportion of households with children in Tower Hamlets fell from 28% to 27%, while the proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents decreased from 6.3% to 5.7%.

The proportion of households without children was higher than across London

Percentage of households that without children across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Ethnicity in Tower Hamlets

The number of people in Tower Hamlets from the White ethnic groups increased from about 100,000 in 2001 to just over 110,000 in 2011. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 51% to 45%.

The percentage decreased by less than the average across London (from 71% to 60%), but at a similar rate to the average across England (from 91% to 85%).

The number of people in Tower Hamlets from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from just over 75,000 in 2001 to about 100,000 in 2011 (from 38% to 41%). The number of residents from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from about 13,000 to about 19,000 (from 6.5% to 7.3%).

Just over 10,000 people (2.5%) said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), up from about 4,900 in 2001 (4.1%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the ethnic profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between ethnic groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population from the White ethnic groups in Tower Hamlets decreased by 6.2 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Tower Hamlets by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Tower Hamlets residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 10% to 6.0% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just over 8 in 10 (83%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 68% in 2001. The percentage of Tower Hamlets residents that described their health as fair decreased from 22% to 11%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 8.3% in 2001 to 5.0% in 2011). Across England, the proportion fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Tower Hamlets decreased by 4.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Tower Hamlets, London and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

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Area report data

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